7 Keys to Develop Great Basketball Dribbling Skills

I've spent many years coaching youth league basketball and know first hand how valuable basketball dribbling skills are. You may be able to shoot, rebound, pass or play defense but if you can't handle the ball well, particularly under pressure, your game and your chances of advancing will be severly handicapped. If you've developed good ball handling skills, you can create a lot of offense not only for yourself but also for your teammates. Not only guards need to have good ball handling skills! Big men that can handle the ball are worth their weight in gold. This hub discusses some fundamental points key to developing good ball handling skills. Get these down and you will be well on your way to success on the court.

Learn to dribble while keeping your head up.

It is a natural tendency with most activities to watch what you are doing. This is especially true about dribbling. The urge to watch the ball can be overwhelming especially for younger players. However, this is a bad habit to learn and can be very hard to break. Learn to keep your head up constantly, always scanning the floor. If you have to watch the basketball while dribbling, you won't know what your teammates or the defense is doing. I don't know how many easy shots I've seen missed because the ball handler missed the open man because his head was down. Learn to dribble without actually having to look down while doing so. If you need help keeping your head up, special training glasses available that block the view downward and force you to keep your head up. The player in the photo above is a great example of keeping the head up during the dribble and under defensive pressure.

Learn to dribble with both hands.

While it may be difficult at first you can learn to dribble well with both hands. I may be stating the obvious but I have seen way too many players that never developed this essential skill. If your opponents are smart, and they usually are, it won't be long before they pick up that you have a weak side. A good defender will force you to go to your weak side increasing the likelihood of turnovers. The flip side of the coin is that you will also limit your own and your team's offensive options as you will have 'moves' to only one side.

Maintain proper body position.

Keep you knees bent, weight on your toes and lower your upper body. The longer the ball is out of your hand before it returns increases the likelihood of a turnover. Staying low shortens the dribble, provides for more control and lessens the opportunity for turnovers. In most cases, you will want to dribble to side of your body and not directly in front of you.

Dribble with your fingers, not your palm.

This can be a difficult habit to break. Unfortunately, 'carrying the ball' or 'turning the ball' is a habit modeled by players at all levels of the game all the way to the NBA. Some refs will let you get away with it and others won't but it is technically illegal. Dribbling with the finger tips provides more control over the ball. Keep your fingers spread well apart to improve control. Special training aids that force you to use your fingertips are available, if you need help breaking this nasty habit.  In the photo to the right, the player is controlling the ball with his palms not his fingertips.

Protect the ball when dribbling.

Dribble to the side of your body. Don't dribble directly in front of yourself. Of course, there are exceptions like during a crossover move but in general this is not a good idea. Doing so presents the defender with the ball and a pair of quick hands will pick your pocket before you know it. When under defensive pressure, turn your body so that it is between the ball and the defender. This is the classic body-body-ball position. Make him go through you to the ball. You make pick up a few easy fouls this way as well.

Learn proper use of an arm bar.

When dribbling against defensive pressure learn to keep your off arm up and partially extended. This isn't like a stiff arm in football. Be careful not to swing or push off with the arm to fend off the defender. this is a foul. However, keeping it extended is an effective way of creating distance between the defender and the ball. You should keep the arm bar parallel with the floor. Always practice your dribble using the arm bar and it soon will be second nature. A proper arm bar not only shields the ball from the defender but helps create space from the defender allowing a better view of the court.

Learn how and when to speed dribble.

The speed dribble is used when a player is running near top speed and trying to advance the ball up court quickly against little or no defensive pressure. You'll see this most commonly during a fast break. In the speed dribble, the ball is dribbled in front of the player and pushed further away from the body than a normal dribble. This allows more control at high speeds. Contrast this to a normal dribble where the ball is bounced to the side of and close to the body.

Finally, don't dribble too much. We've all seen the ball handler in love with his own ball handling skills. While it is impressive to watch, a good defense will pick up on the ball hog and quickly adapt by double teaming and trapping. Then the turnovers begin. Ultimately, quick, crisp passing is a better way to break down a defense than dribbling. Basketball is a team sport after all.

It has been said that practice makes perfect. That is not true. Perfect practice makes perfect. If you practice with bad fundamentals you will never develop good basketball dribbling skills. You will reinforce bad habits. If you are willing to practice with discipline, using proper ball handling techniques, you can and will develop superior basketball dribbling skills!